The annual Country Connect gathering and festival launch was held at the Tamworth Services Club and saw a room filled with golden guitar winners, media professionals and industry stalwarts.

Excitement filled the air as Festival manager Barry Harley spoke about what was ahead, with ten days of music action to kick off from Friday. Two of the city’s three Golden Guitar awards finalists Dale Duncan and Aleyce Simmonds performed for the crowd with Simmonds speaking about watching the awards ceremony in awe as a little girl.

“Dreams really do come true,” she said.

Max Ellis, one of the festival’s founding fathers said he could not believe the event had reached its 46^th year and he thanked all those who made it possible.

While Tamworth MP Kevin Anderson spoke of the festival’s importance to the electorate, to the State government and to tourism.

He congratulated the organisers on their achievements on not only making the festival “bigger, but better.”

“The job you do is a 12-month occupation, a continuous improvement exercise and I think that you get it right really most of the time,” he said.

The festival will be officially opened at Toyota Park on Friday night from 7pm featuring some of the industry’s biggest names and local stars.